Our Maze Of Dreams
by Rio Grande
Summary: After expressing some of their deepest desires, Inuyasha and his friends find themselves in a world where their dreams have become a reality.
1. Itazura

Hey all! I can't believe I'm doing this. starting another story! It's terrible, I know. but, when inspiration hits, what are you supposed to do? I already have twenty billion outlines for half-baked ideas and really good plots that I want to get started, just drifting aimlessly around my computer, currently. But I have to put all those fics on hold because I'm already halfway through other stories that are currently posted on ff.net. This one though, I couldn't just let sit there. It had to be dealt with. So here it is! A sketchy first chapter that I hope you all enjoy, although I must warn you this story might not be getting updated very often. However, I only plan to make it around seven parts long (With, because it's me, really long chapters.) so it might be over quickly.  
  
This story is going to focus not just on Inuyasha and his friends, but a lot on the villains as well. Like Naraku and Kikyo and Sesshomaru (Although I'm sure a great deal of you out there won't mind me focusing some attention on that last character.) It's, generally, pretty evenly distributed. And I'd like to warn you all in advance that the plot is extremely. out there. But it's funny. Really funny! Sort of.  
  
So, keep in mind that I don't own Inuyasha, please review, and enjoy the story!  
  
*  
  
All morning, Kikyo had been absorbed with an ill-omened premonition she had received the previous night, and had retreated to the very edges of her most recent village in order to obtain complete solitude and silence, so that she could more effectively brood over this puzzle that had been placed before her. She had been meditating on this new dream and what it meant, while kneeling placidly by a gushing creak, wondering what its contents revealed to someone of her caliber and knowledge, and if she should be at all worried about this vaguely foreboding presentiment of sorts.  
  
So far she was coming up empty handed.  
  
The dream, which had caused her to awake last night sweating and slightly breathless, and had quickly filled her head with many confusing and contradicting images, she distinctly remembered being not about her, or her shady future as an undead priestess... but it had instead been about Inuyasha and his friends. There wasn't so much detail as there was a deep- seated feeling of danger and imminent conflict in this vision, this dream, this omen. There had been a rush of emotion flying through her head, bursting with colors and blurry images, filled with confusion and devastation, with desperation and magic, and with. many.evil beings. yelling. fighting. over something very-very. threatening.  
  
Oh hell.  
  
In short, Kikyo was lost. She had no idea what this dream was supposed to tell her, it being either extremely complex or irregularly messy, and except for the fact that it was presenting to her the near futures of Inuyasha and his ragtag gang, Kikyo could offer no further insight on the subject. She wondered distantly if she should ever care about this dream. It wasn't as though it concerned her, and who cared if that silly hanyou got into a spot of trouble? If his friends died - it was less work for her in the long run. And as long as the half demon himself survived (If not simply for the purpose of later being killed by Kikyo herself.) the miko convinced herself nothing else mattered.  
  
So Kikyo smoothly got to her feet, her pale, pretty features quietly staring off into the morning sunrise, as she clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms, and desperately tried to ignore the great pull that was urging her to her little sister's village far into the west. Inuyasha's village.  
  
*  
  
She closed her eyes as the trees rushed at her, leaves whipping past her face yet never actually coming in contact with her skin. She tightened her grip around his neck unconsciously, even though she knew he would never let her fall. She had nothing to fear when she was with him, and she took comfort in that relaxing knowledge. He would never let any harm befall her while in his custody, and because of this, in many ways, Inuyasha was Kagome's best friend.  
  
"Are you sure it's this way?" Inuyasha called up to the girl riding on his back, as he swiftly made his way through the forest with powerful leaps and bounds, flying through the air at inhuman speeds. Kagome nodded deftly, biting her lip and focusing on the energy source she felt, while distantly listening to the sound of Kirara and her other companions following breathlessly behind her.  
  
"Um. turn a little to the left!" she replied back, opening her eyes and peering out into the woods. It was a bright, sunny day, golden rays filtering in through the foliage above them and giving everything around the group of shard hunters a green tinted appearance. However, today, there was no time to admire the scenery, as Kagome had sensed another shikon fragment that morning.  
  
Guiding her companions through the nearby forest, the Japanese schoolgirl concentrated on the powerful feel of the shard, a feeling she had engraved into her memory after many months of encountering other pieces like it. "We're almost on top of it!" she reported grimly. She felt Inuyasha tense underneath her - no doubt preparing himself for an inevitable battle. There were almost always fights when Kagome sensed a jewel shard. They had the iniquitous ability to drive demons who possessed them insane, and this usually did not bode well for Kagome and her friends, especially when they were attempting to appropriate the shikon shards from the ravenous monsters. Demons generally didn't like that.  
  
"I see something!" Sango reported from atop Kirara, Miroku glancing at the forest floor from behind her, frowning.  
  
"Me too!" the monk cried. "It's on the ground."  
  
Landing elegantly in a crouch, Inuyasha let Kagome jump off his back, and then came to stand protectively in front of the young miko as he inspected the dark forest floor. Immediately his sharp eyes caught sight of a living being, sprawled haphazardly on the grass, a few feet away. Even from behind the hanyou, Kagome could sense the presence of a shikon shard radiating off the fallen body.  
  
"That thing definitely has a shikon shard on it!" she reported gravely, Kirara, hopping gracefully to the ground, reverting back to her smaller form as the humans riding the youkai slipped off her back.  
  
"What is it though." Inuyasha questioned, frowning and approaching the form slowly. Kneeling by it, the half demon carefully prodded the thing, apparently a person lying on their face, delicately. "Hey, wake up man!" Inuyasha ordered in a growl. From behind him Miroku clutched his staff with readiness, and Sango put a hand on her boomerang bone, just in case. That thing didn't look like it was about to get up anytime soon, but you could never be too careful.  
  
"What is it Inuyasha?" the small kitsune, Shippou wanted to know as he leaped onto Kagome's shoulder and watched Inuyasha roll the person over onto their back with morbid fascination. God. those wounds.  
  
"It's a cat demon!" Inuyasha said, with no small degree of surprise in his voice, as he looked over the mauled youkai.  
  
"Really?" Sango said, startled, and approaching the duo carefully. "What do you think one is doing all the way out here? Usually they stick the northern regions of this area."  
  
As a rule, cat demons kept to themselves - a proud race that didn't like to travel during the day and were outstandingly powerful by nature. it was a bit disturbing to find a mortally wounded one lying around the forest so plainly.  
  
"I don't know, but look, something beat it up really bad. He's hardly breathing! He's got too many serious wounds in his abdomen, and the thing's burning up," Inuyasha admitted, putting one hand to the bloodied demon's face. "He's not going to make it," This caught the self appointed nurse of the group's attention, and Kagome quickly trotted over to see what could be done.  
  
"Oh my gosh! You're right, these wounds are terrible!" Kagome gasped, taking out a handkerchief and wiping away some of the blood from the demon's forehead. Mere seconds later the sixteen year olds' handkerchief was soaked through with the bright red substance, and Kagome put it aside, frowning deeply. "We need to get him to a village..."  
  
"Can you sense where his shikon shards are?" Inuyasha wanted to know.  
  
"Inuyasha! You can't seriously be meaning to steal the shikon shards off a dying person!" Kagome shrieked, disgusted. "That's heartless!"  
  
"Hey! I didn't say I was going to TAKE them! I just wanted to know where they were!" the hanyou defended, glaring at the girl.  
  
"Well sure I know - but I'm not going to tell you now!" she snapped, as she and Sango tried to lift the comatose demon off the ground, hoping to get him onto Kirara without further agitating his grievous wounds.  
  
"Aw, come on Kagome!" Inuyasha whined, frustrated. However, the couple's squabbling had roused the demon, who immediately began to shudder with pain at the feeling of Sango and Kagome attempting to drag him over to Kirara.  
  
"Ahhh!" he hissed.  
  
"Ohmigod! I'm sorry!" Kagome squeaked, gently laying the demon back down, as Miroku and Shippou came over to see what they could do to help.  
  
"Are you in much pain?" Sango asked, kneeling next to the cat youkai and frowning seriously.  
  
"I-I." the demon rasped wetly, revealing his green tinted eyes, while clenching his fists and holding back a groan of anguish.  
  
"That would be a yes," Inuyasha quipped from behind Kagome, even though he held a sympathetic look in his eyes. Too often had he found himself in this demon's position.  
  
"What attacked you, sir?" Miroku asked, folding his arms. Was there a dangerous demon in the area that the group should be aware of? To take down a cat demon.  
  
"I. killed it." the demon stated, his breathing ragged and irregular. "Took its. shikon shard."  
  
"I see," Inuyasha said, understanding that it must have been a youkai under the potent affects of the shikon no tama that had hurt this demon so.  
  
"We're going to try to move you, and take you to a village so that we can tend to your wounds," Kagome told the demon in her most comforting tone, as she let Inuyasha scoop him up this time.  
  
"Don't bother." the demon quickly said, putting a hand up as to stop Inuyasha. "Please. just. do me one favor." Everyone looked slightly hesitant at this statement, knowing better than to agree to requests from random youkai without reading the fine print. Not that this cat looked remotely threatening, however malice runs deep.  
  
"What do you want?" Sango asked flatly.  
  
"I cannot survive, so, would you please." he paused a second, a shallow cough wrenching itself from the male demon's mouth. "Take my body. to my mother's house."  
  
Abruptly, everyone's eyes softened, not bothering to assure him that he would pull through, as it was obvious he wouldn't - and nodding sadly. Who could say no to an innocent request like that? It was the least they could do.  
  
"Of course,"  
  
*  
  
Our Maze Of Dreams  
  
By Rio Grande  
  
Chapter One: Itazura  
  
*  
  
"THIS is where his mother lives?" Sango asked skeptically, addressing the humble looking cottage settled in the deep woods about ten miles from where the group had picked up the demon. It was homey looking, covered in vines and surrounded by all sorts of flowers, herbs and weeds, and not at all the sort of living environment your typical cat youkai would enjoy. "This youkai isn't even living in cat-demon territory! Something feels wrong about this place..."  
  
"Well, I guess we'll find out what's amiss once we meet this poor fellow's mother," Miroku mentioned, bravely approaching the small house and knocking on the front door politely. The demon had informed them all that his name was Shiroba, and that his mother lived to the east of where he was murdered, just a mile off the main road. The group had dutifully followed his directions, and an hour later ended up in at the this cottage, hesitant and bewildered.  
  
They had all had started out quickly enough; eager to get this demon off their hands, no matter that they felt sympathy for him. however Shiroba had drifted in and out of consciousness the whole way, and eventually he had died en rout to the cottage.  
  
Despite Kagome's last ditch attempts to revive him with her stunning first aid skills, Shiroba's wounds were simply beyond help, and it was decided among all that it was their duty to at least leave his corpse with his dear mother. No matter that his mother could be a very hungry, full-grown cat demon with claws that had the potential to rip your eyes out. Especially because they came bearing the body of her deceased son. But still.  
  
"Coming! Coming!" a female voice sounded from behind the wooden door. Miroku and Sango traded skeptical looks - that was a demon? "Hold on just a second!"  
  
From behind the cursed monk and the demon exterminator, Inuyasha and Kagome stood uncomfortably, Inuyasha holding the cadaver of the youkai in his arms, and Kagome nervously clutching a confused Shippou. This was awkward - how were they supposed to break it to this woman that her son was dead? Best to let Miroku do all the talking, it was more his forte than theirs.  
  
"Why - hello! May I help you young people?" a woman said, throwing open the small door and immediately filling the entire space with her stunning presence, her very being seeming to exude a lively, if not extremely odd, aura. Miroku and Sango stared at her dumbly for a second. She was DEFINITELY not the demon they had been expecting! In fact- she wasn't even a demon!  
  
She was a witch.  
  
Shiroba's mother stood at about 5'1, with a head full of untamed, frizzy gray hair, and wide, twinkling brown eyes that even in her old age seemed to hold a bountiful amount of waywardness. Her face was a composition of wrinkles and large, stretched lips, almost touching a pointed nose. She wore a deep purple kimono, tied with bright yellow sashes, and on her feet she sported brightly decorated red slippers. Around her neck she bore the customary necklace and charm that signified she was a woman with powers that were to be trifled with - Miroku and Sango continued to stare at the witch for some time.  
  
It wasn't everyday you got to see a witch! They were driven out of most towns they encountered because they were notably unpopular with the village people, nobles had no use for them when there were mikos and monks to serve their mystical needs, and generally witches were stuffy people who liked to keep to themselves anyway. Either that or they violently tore about the countryside, hexing everyone in sight for the most trifle blunders. This woman seemed to be partaking in neither witch-like activities, and it was notably befuddling.  
  
The couple didn't know whether to be fascinated or worried by the fact that they had just stumbled upon this rare specimen, and suddenly felt even more worried over the fact that they had some rather crushing news to give her.  
  
"Um- Lady..?" Miroku started out valiantly, recovering from his shock and standing up straight. They had promised they would give Shiroba's body to his mother, and he wasn't about to back down now!  
  
"Itazura," the witch supplied, sticking out a bony, withered hand for Miroku to take. The monk did so, hesitantly, while contemplating the woman's name. Ms. 'Mischief?' That wasn't ominous. "What can I do for you young people?" she asked, speaking in a peasant's drawl, and smiling invitingly. Well, she didn't SEEM dangerous.  
  
"Ms. Itazura, I'm afraid we come bearing grave news," Sango said, bowing her head regretfully. The witch frowned, allowing Sango to continue. "We encountered your son, Shiroba in the woods, mortally injured."  
  
"Oh, my Shiroba!" the witch gasped, slapping at hand to her mouth. Was it true? Was this really the cat demon's biological mother?  
  
"He had fought with a youkai in the forest near your house, and met a terrible end. His wounds were too great for us to tend to. and but a half hour ago. your son passed away," Miroku finished softly, respectfully. He and Sango kept their heads bowed low for an extended period of time, waiting to see what sort of reaction this gauged from the mother.  
  
"Oh. oh my," she said quietly, slowly lifting a shaky hand to her throat, and clutching it firmly. Her eyes were wide and disbelieving, her smile wavering like the waves on the ocean as she visibly tried to come to grips with what these complete strangers were telling her. "Is this. true? Do you. would you. is there?" she stuttered in a shaky voice. Silently, Sango and Miroku stepped to the side, revealing Inuyasha and Kagome. with Shiroba.  
  
"OH! Shiroba! My SON!" the witch wailed like a wounded lamb in her high-pitched tenor.  
  
Throwing herself forward, she wrenched Shiroba from an uncomfortable Inuyasha, cradling her son's head in her arms as she sunk to the ground with him in a puddle of misery. She bowed her head forward and opened her mouth in a deep cry, rocking back and forth. "Oh. my poor child."  
  
Sango, Kagome and Shippou watched the heart-wrenching scene with sympathetic eyes, Kagome simply being a empathetic creature who hated scenes such as these, and Sango suddenly remembering a certain village where many mothers had lost their sons. Shippou too was quickly forced to recall the mourning of his parents, clutching Kagome's shirt as he suppressed the nightmarish scenario which he had been able to banish to the back of his mind ever since he had started traveling with Inuyasha his companions as a family.  
  
It was truly a pitiable scene.  
  
Meanwhile, Miroku whispered something quietly in Inuyasha's direction, his tone almost undetectable, the soft sound reaching Inuyasha's ultra sensitive ears anyway.  
  
"But, if this woman truly is Shiroba's mother. then Shiroba was a hanyou." Inuyasha said nothing, but mentally he agreed with Miroku, and quietly nursed a fresh loss of his own. The death of a rare someone who was in many ways - like him.  
  
*  
  
The group hadn't intended to stay at Ms. Itazura's house for any long period of time, but after seeing her so completely crushed by her son's death, they admitted they couldn't just LEAVE her there with her dead child, and had offered to help wash his wounds and possibly make her a cup of tea while she was gathering her scattered wits. The witch had accepted their offer graciously.  
  
And so now Miroku and Sango found themselves in a back room of the cluttered house, cleaning the wounds of a dead youkai in preparation for his burial. Kagome was making some tea with Shippou, and was in addition, trying to figure out just what were tealeaves and what were poisonous substances that should be avoided. (Itazura's cabinet was filled with many herbs, spices, and miscellaneous poisons she vaguely remembered Kaede violently cautioning her against getting with ten yards of. Did witches actually USE these things?)  
  
And Inuyasha sat in a corner of the wooden hut, arms folded into the sleeves of his fire-rat coat, a small scowl permanently fixed on his face, Tetsusaiga placed at his side. His golden eyes were following the elderly witch around the house as she traveled from room to room, gathering supplies for her son's funeral, sobbing wearily to herself, and thanking the whole group for helping out so much profusely all the while.  
  
"Think nothing of it," Sango said, having finished cleaning the last of the deep gashes on the cat demon, and throwing the bloodied and wet rag quickly to the side. "I've had plenty of practice with things like this. Miroku too," she admitted, shrugging. The monk nodded gravely in agreement, now tending to some of the smaller scrapes, and trying to make the demon look as healthy as possible before he was laid to rest.  
  
"Oh. but surely you want some payment for your deeds? You are going through so much trouble." Itazura reasoned, collapsing onto a chair, her exuberant nature toned down to a deep mourning, her lively eyes distressed and a little bit hysterical. Kagome came up behind her and firmly set a cup of relaxing tea in her hand, urging her to drink.  
  
"It will help calm you down," she said softly, standing near the woman and gazing at her compassionately. Itazura gave Kagome a rather toothless smile, nodding thankfully.  
  
"You're all being too kind," she explained.  
  
"Hardly," Kagome said, now sitting in a chair opposite the woman so that Shippou could jump into her lap, nestling there happily. "We are very sorry for your loss." Itazura looked thoughtful as she sipped her tea now, her eyes red rimmed and blotchy.  
  
"But could you tell me - who was it who killed my son? Why did he die? He was so strong." the witch asked. And although her tone was merely curious on the outside, Kagome could sense the bitter taste of a needed retribution lurking within the woman's words. After all, Kagome had encountered one too many vengeful beings on her journey in the feudal era - Inuyasha himself being one of them.  
  
"He killed the demon that attacked him," Kagome explained quickly, thinking she might have caught a flicker of almost disappointment in the wounded mother's dark eyes.  
  
"Well, that is good I suppose. Shiroba didn't go down without a fight. But still, what sort of a demon was this? To be so powerful as to take down my son." the witch said, waving her hand about and shaking her head, clearly confused, and obviously having a great deal of pride for her hanyou son. Kagome winced, but knew the subject had to be brought up.  
  
"Well, actually, we think the attacking demon may have been using a shikon shard to enhance his abilities." Kagome admitted, sighing mentally as she watched Inuyasha's eyes quickly snap open at the mention of the shard. Finally, something he was interested in.  
  
"A shikon shard?" Itazura said, her brow furrowing deeply as she considered what this meant for her. "I have heard the tale of this broken shikon no tama. But, pray tell, where is this shard now?"  
  
"Still on your son, Ma'am," Kagome said honestly. "He claimed it with his death, and I would be able to detect it for you if you wish to take it back now." Inuyasha looked as though he were about to bite Kagome's head off from his corner; how dare the bitch suggest they give up the shard to this crazy witch! What was she thinking? Stealthily, he got to his feet and followed the couple into the room containing Shiroba.  
  
"Yes, I would much like to see one of the famed shards for myself, thank you." Itazura sighed wearily, looking grim as she dragged herself into the room containing her son's corpse.  
  
Moving to the side, Miroku and Sango watched Kagome as she gently retrieved a shard - which hadn't been enough to save the son, only allow him to survive for a little while longer - from Shiroba's wrist. Sango turned to Miroku with a worried look etched onto her features, her eyes dark and grave. This woman might be old and notably eccentric, but this was a shard. what would they do if she refused to let them have it? Kagome might not fuss, but would their hanyou friend be willing to give up a piece of his treasured shikon no tama? Miroku nodded slowly back in response, understanding the dark undertones in Sango's expression, and placed his full attention back on the witch, now gingerly taking the small shard from Kagome's hand.  
  
"So." She said simply, eyeing the shard warily. "This is a shikon shard? This is what killed my son?"  
  
"Um. more or less," Kagome said, shivering uncomfortably as she felt the cold aura of Inuyasha lingering behind her, watching the witch with a mistrustful eye. Apparently, he wasn't about to let this shard go.  
  
"Hm," Itazura mused lightly, turning the tiny fragment over in her hand, and examining it closely for around two minutes. After a moment, she glanced up at the pretty girl sitting before her, her expression knowing. "Girl, tell me, what relationship do you and your companions have with this shikon no tama?" she asked blatantly. Kagome's eyes widened, and she shifted uncomfortably as Inuyasha gave the witch a contemptuous look from behind her. How did she know?.  
  
"Well, truthfully? We are collecting them, in an effort to complete the jewel once more," Kagome said, deciding there was no point in lying at this point. They had never had to hide their goal from anyone before.  
  
"I see," Itazura said sagely, nodding her head. There was a long, pregnant pause that drifted through the room for a time, everyone unconsciously holding their breath as they waited for Itazura to make her next move. Finally - "Then you may have it," and with that she deftly tossed the sharp in Kagome's direction, the Japanese schoolgirl being so surprised she nearly missed it.  
  
"We can just. just have it?" she repeated dumbly, as Miroku and Sango exchanged startled looks off to the side.  
  
"Well, yes. I have no need for it, and it is fitting payment for having not stolen it off my son's body. You can have easily robbed him of it, but you did the honorable thing and waited for me to see the shard myself, and for that you must be rewarded," Itazura reasoned, gazing off to the distance with a melancholy air to her, apparently reminiscing over her son once more. Kagome looked at the witch levelly for a second, before quickly genuflecting for the woman, a grateful smile upon her face.  
  
"Thank you so much. You're too kind." she said softly, trying not to look too elated, as the atmosphere was most definitely not a cheerful one, currently.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Itazura asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow with general curiosity. "I still owe you and your friends very much for your deeds, and plan to pay you all back in full," Kagome laughed politely, Inuyasha looking generally shocked that he had just obtained a new shikon shard so easily - not to mention when Kagome had just recently had all of hers taken by a certain undead miko - but neither thought much of Itazura's vague promise of future reward. After all, the group was rarely remunerated for their good deeds, and why should this case be any different?  
  
*  
  
Midday consisted of a short funeral, of which the small group, now guilt tripped because Itazura had so graciously handed over the shikon shard, felt they needed to attend.  
  
"This is all going so fast," Kagome murmured to the demon exterminator standing next to her, who had shed her battle outfit for a plain kimono.  
  
"It is witch custom. They do not linger over their dead long - services and prayers are done in the same day as the death, for the afterlife to them is nothing for one to fear. Their beliefs are very different than ours, Kagome-chan," Sango explained softly, watching Miroku and Inuyasha carefully lower the simple, wooden casket into a hole in the Earth. Behind them Itazura was fervently murmuring a string of prayers and customary chants, completely absorbed in her task - silent tears streaming down her withered, shallow cheek bones. It made Kagome sigh shakily, heat building up behind her eyes, so she averted her gaze and continued conversing with Sango, off to the side.  
  
"But what about Shiroba's father? If he's a demon, might he not want the body taken to him, so it can be buried in the proper demon way?" Kagome pointed out. Sango shrugged dully, eyes distant; it was obvious her mind was currently other places, and Kagome had a feeling she knew exactly why.  
  
"Who knows. maybe Shiroba and Itazura weren't talking to the father anymore. Maybe he doesn't want a half-breed son," she reasoned. Kagome nodded and absorbed these ideas, Shippou sitting glumly by her feet, crouching near an obediently silent Kirara, as the service came close to its end.  
  
A light spring breeze drifted through the large field, apparently part of Itazura's property that would serve as the cat demon's burial place. Miroku and Inuyasha quickly began shoveling dirt over the grave, closing up the hole, while Itazura continued to sob and scattered a variety of flower petals over the coffin, as it was soon out of sight, covered by dark, moist dirt.  
  
When the ditch was completely closed, Itazura kneeled in front of her son's marker, while Inuyasha and Miroku turned around to stand by the two females of their group. Everyone was silent as they uneasily observed Itazura finish up the service.  
  
She muttered a collection of oddly warped sounding words in another language, hands clasped together, and a string of some sort of herb placed over her son's marker- a wooden stick carved into an intricate shape Kagome didn't recognize - these witch customs were definitely odd.  
  
Eventually, Itazura stood - her prayers done, her wreath of herbs securing her son a safe passage into the afterlife, and her tears spent - she looked over to Inuyasha and his friends. They had helped her so much.  
  
"Please, I really must thank you all," she said loudly, so that the group could hear her from where they stood, some yards away. They all nodded politely, seriously.  
  
"Think nothing of it," Miroku replied, bowing his head, his good hand firmly clasping his staff, and weapon of choice.  
  
"No." The witch Itazura said breezily, gazing once more upon her son's grave, her expression distant, her tone mysterious. "No. You truly deserve something greater. Your hearts are all pure - I can see it, and I refuse to let you leave without being justly compensated for your efforts." These honest, warming words surprised everyone slightly, and they simply stared at Itazura as she fixed them all with a level gaze, as if judging them. Finally, she nodded firmly, in a distinctly satisfied manner- as if they had all just passed some sort of personal litmus test.  
  
"I will give you all two wishes. Just two wishes each - your greatest desires - your most fickle fantasies - or anything that comes to mind," she said loudly, so that there would be no mistaking her startling words. Everyone gawked at her some more after she was done with this statement, and even then Shippou was the first to speak.  
  
"You can DO that?" he squawked. Itazura smiled crookedly, nodding her head ever so slightly.  
  
"Why, yes, I believe I can," she chuckled darkly, although there was little humor in her tone. Miroku frowned - he had never heard of such powerful magic being attempted by a witch. Any two wishes? What was this?  
  
"Ma'am, we appreciate your offer, but." he started hesitantly, wondering how to go about pointing out to the witch that she was most obviously bluffing. What sort of magical being could pull off two wishes on such a whim? And simply because she wished to repay a wandering group of warriors who had aided her in the burial of her son? Only something as deep and powerful as the shikon no tama could pull off such a feat.  
  
"But you need some time to deeply consider these wishes?" Itazura supplied helpfully.  
  
"Er-"  
  
"Oh, I quite understand," she said loftily, turning her back on the stunned group, and coming to stand once more in front of the grave, gazing down on it despairingly. "And I will give you all 'till sunset to come up with your wishes. and then I will retrieve you and ask you to recite them to me. Think long and hard, because these wishes could forever alter your life if requested the correct way,"  
  
Everyone exchanged nervous glances, and eyebrows were raised all around. Was she in her right mind? Shrugging, Sango turned around to head back to the cottage, understanding that Itazura most likely wanted these next moments to be alone with her son.  
  
"We left our things at the house, we should go pick them up," she commented softly, yet forcefully, urging the members of her group away from the field. Quickly, everyone caught on and followed Sango away, briefly glancing back at the obviously mentally addled witch.  
  
*  
  
"She's totally off her rocker," Miroku stated firmly as everyone reentered the cottage, shuffling around the clustered, compact rooms and retrieving their belongings. It would be no short trip back to the village, and they had been low on supplies before - so now they had no choice but to return to Kaede. "There's no way a witch could perform a spell such as that without there being dire consequences. Or at least a major mistake,"  
  
"Really?" Kagome asked, while flinging all of her scattered supplies into an impressively large pack. "That's too bad, I thought it was an fun idea. If not somewhat unrealistic." Sango laughed lightly, tying up her battle clothing in a bundle. In a corner sat her boomerang bone, Kirara purring gently and napping next to it.  
  
"Oh really? And what would you have wished for?" she teased. Kagome didn't catch on to the joking lilt of Sango's voice, and looked generally thoughtful.  
  
"Hmm." she said, sitting cross-legged on the floor, collecting all of her first aid supplies that had been used previously and stuffing them back into the little white box they came in. "I don't know - I suppose I'd want to be the smartest girl in all Japan so that I wouldn't have to spend all my free time studying for tests!"  
  
Inuyasha, leaning against a wall, and who had just recently used up all of his goodwill for the day with the burial of Shiroba, snorted derisively at Kagome's innocently cheery comment.  
  
"Better yet - why don't you just stop taking those damned tests all together? Like I've said before - collecting the shikon no tama shards is far more important than your silly 'high school'," Inuyasha stated in a snappy tone of voice. Kagome glowered at him, sighing deep.  
  
"And like I'VE said before - though you seem to keep conveniently forgetting this - I refuse to fail all my tests and drop out of high school!" she explained defensively. "If you don't think my education is as important as your dumb jewel I don't know what to say to you."  
  
"I wasn't saying it like that! You don't have to get an education by going to these schools of yours. why, I never went to school and I turned out fine!" Inuyasha said simply. Kagome rolled her eyes, and Shippou giggled tauntingly.  
  
"Inuyasha - I don't really think you're a good example of an un- educated person making a decent living in the world," she said, fitting the last of her supplies snugly back into her pack.  
  
"Oh - shut up!" he barked, folding his arms, and looking thoroughly gloomy.  
  
"Well - what would YOU wish for then, Inuyasha?" Miroku inquired pleasantly, before this fight escalated to unreasonable pointless heights. The duo had the knack for fighting for hours on end about complete and utter crap, and he refused to sit through another one of their verbal sparring sessions just then. Inuyasha stared at Miroku, apparently contemplating his question seriously for a minute, before replying quickly-  
  
"I'd wish my stupid half brother dead,"  
  
"Really?" Kagome asked, head whipping to the side, sparkling brown eyes wide with surprise. "You'd be that spiteful as to kill your own brother?"  
  
"You've seen him!" Inuyasha said defiantly. "He's a menace! He's always hurting you and the others - and not a day goes by when he doesn't make an attempt to steal the Tetsusaiga! It'd make my life a WHOLE lot easier to get him out of the way," Kagome still looked deeply troubled at her friend's words though - And Sango's next ones proved she too felt discomfited by Inuyasha's proclamation.  
  
"Well, there are plenty people out there that I could wish dead - but wouldn't," she said firmly. "I hardly think it's an honorable way to kill someone, firstly, and secondly, many of the people I want dead. I would rather murder with my own hands."  
  
There was an awkward silence, as everyone contemplated all the people they too would love to see six feet under, an uncomfortable theme in itself, before Inuyasha's words pierced the gap.  
  
"Yeah. Actually. I agree. I don't know why I said I wanted Sesshomaru dead." Kagome's jaw dropped; had he just admitted to being wrong? No way! He had NEVER admitted to being wrong about anything! Well, except maybe to her a few times. but let's emphasize the 'few'ness of those occurrences.  
  
". I WOULD much rather kill him with my own hands,"  
  
And this point Kagome let out a deep sigh, rolling her eyes, but at the same time let a little smile shine in her heart - Inuyasha might act tough and cruel about hating Sesshomaru, but she had seen with her own eyes that when push came to shove - he would never actually murder the powerful youkai, even if the half brother had his neck extended. It had just chilled her to hear Inuyasha, who she knew for a fact had a pure heart, say such harsh things.  
  
"Well, what about you Sango, what's your wish?" Miroku asked, taking a seat, and letting Shippou nibble on a piece of bread he had been partaking in.  
  
"Um." the seventeen year old said, running a hand through her dark brown hair in an effort to hide her blush as she glanced at the monk innocently sitting before her. There were so many things she desired - so many things she would NEVER, EVER admit to wanting. Not in front of these people, at least. "I'd want to be a rich lady, with many silk kimonos!" Well, it may not be the most important wish, but she always HAD admired rich noble ladies, and often wondered what it would be like to feel real silk against her harshly abused skin, and this wish seemed innocent enough to talk about in such cheerful company.  
  
"Oh really?" Miroku asked, the barest traces of disappointment lingering in his voice over the fact that Sango's wish had been so impersonal. "That's nice,"  
  
"Oi! I just thought of a WAY better wish!" Inuyasha said suddenly, startling everyone.  
  
"What is it?" Kagome asked, cocking her head. The group, deeply involved in their fun little conversation now, sat in a circle on the floor, holding onto their possessions and leaning in with interest over what people had to say. It was rare that the scarred, and rather dysfunctional group got this into discussing their personal lives. And even now it wasn't as though they had scratched anything particularly deep or meaningful. They were all just rather bad at communicating, when you got right down to it - and this game was an almost delightfully clever way to get everyone to admit some personal confessions and fears.  
  
"I wish that Sesshomaru was a HUMAN!" he declared triumphantly. Immediately everyone broke out into shaking peels of laughter, imagining the proud, mortal hating demon lord reduced to the level of a feeble human.  
  
"Oh, that's perfect!" Miroku commented jovially.  
  
"Ha! You bet it is! Boy would I love to see his face if that ever happened!" Inuyasha said, cackling sadistically. Kagome covered her mouth to stifle her uncontrollable giggles. The image really WAS amusing, and she too, admittedly, held little love for the Inuyasha's cold brother. Eventually the laughter died down and someone else stepped up to bat.  
  
"Well I would wish." Miroku said, his voice containing an all too familiar hint of lechery in it. ".To find a beautiful, willing woman who would bear me as many children as I wanted!"  
  
"You pervert!" Sango cried, slapping the lecherous monk over the head none-to gently. "Can't you talk about anything without being nasty?"  
  
"That wasn't nasty!" Miroku defended, rubbing his throbbing head tenderly. "It was a totally reasonable, wholesome thought! I want to start a family!" Sango shot him a glare.  
  
"You don't want to start a family - you want to create a son who will be forced to avenge your family curse if you fail!" she snapped cruelly.  
  
This, of course, gauged a shocked sort of pause from Miroku - while Inuyasha and Kagome tried to make themselves as small as possible. Uh oh. they were treading on thin ice here, and Sango had just jabbed at the tender underbelly of Miroku's psyche. Everyone KNEW why Miroku wanted someone to bear his child so quickly; they just never talked about it.  
  
"I want a lifetime supply of Kagome's chocolate!" Shippou piped up in an effort to restore the happy atmosphere. However, his valiant attempt was wasted - for Miroku was staring at Sango in a rather crushed way.  
  
"I ." he said softly. He quickly turned his head to the side, his soulful, purple eyes weary and introspective. "I know. No need for you to rub it in," he snapped, in a very un-Miroku like fashion. Sango, who knew she had crossed the line sometime back, winced visibly, and averted her stare to the ground, biting her lip.  
  
"Sor-" she started, truly apologetic she had pointed out such a harsh reality while sharing such a lighthearted conversation. It had been uncalled for, and the only reason she knew how to get to him so well was because the two were undeniably close. It made her that much more sad to know she had just seriously insulted one of her only remaining friends in the world.  
  
"So!" Miroku quickly cut in, before Sango had time to apologize. He apparently wanted to drop the subject very badly. "If we're going to get serious - and if we do in fact get two 'wishes', according to Lady Itazura- perhaps we could all admit a deeper, darker desire now? Hm?" he asked suggestively. Sango sighed and rubbed her head - well, at least he seemed to have recovered quickly. But you could never tell with Miroku. "Lady Kagome, would you like to start?"  
  
"Er." Kagome said, laughing uneasily. "I don't know - we're not going to REALLY get these wishes anyway. it seems so silly."  
  
"Why Kagome, are you backing down?" Inuyasha taunted, suddenly looking very interested in this little activity, his golden eyes twinkling playfully. "Are you scared of admitting one of your most beloved desires?" Kagome puffed her cheeks out, looking indignant.  
  
"It's not that, I mean, I just." she shrugged uneasily. "I mean. if you really want to know."  
  
"Yes Kagome, please tell us!" Miroku said, looking fascinated, Shippou nodding his head vigorously.  
  
"Well." Kagome locked gazes with Inuyasha, who immediately saw some of her desires just by looking into those big brown eyes. His heart rate sped up a tiny bit. "I." Wish Inuyasha would be happy. "Think." Wish I wasn't Kikyo's reincarnation. "I." Wish all of my friends could have had easier lives to lead. " - Would wish for the shikon no tama to be whole, and in our possession, once more,"  
  
Everyone pondered this, realizing Kagome HAD voiced a deep desire, something that plagued everyone in the group very profoundly - and by doing so also given the coversation yet another serious turn. Now they were really starting to get to the messy core of the groups atypical and painful lives, almost an unspoken taboo among them all, and it was a bit. uncomfortable.  
  
"I see," Sango said, smiling weakly. "A good, powerful wish," Was all she could think of to say, finally.  
  
Inuyasha kept staring at his modern day friend long after she had stopped looking at him, brows furrowed, and white, furry ears leaning forward attentively. He nodded his head a little before speaking.  
  
"Well - in that case, I wish that my parents had never been killed. Then I wouldn't have had to grow up being nothing but a despised hanyou," Inuyasha said, referring to a collection of deep, childhood scars that lasted and lasted.  
  
"Really?" Kagome quickly gasped in utter surprise. That was another wish she hadn't anticipated! "But what about becoming a full demon? Or bringing Kikyo back to true life?" What? He rarely talked about his horrid childhood - and it seemed an uncharacteristic thing for him to mention now. She knew it beleaguered him - but surly he was more concerned about Kikyo than-!  
  
"Well I thought about that," he said proudly. "And I decided if you already have the shikon no tama after your wish - then I could use it to become a full demon and forever be rid of the damned jewel! So there's no use wasting a wish on becoming a full demon. But.You'd give it to me - right?" he quickly asked, as if just to be sure.  
  
"Of course," Kagome said, without hesitating. It had never occurred to her to keep the sacred jewel from him, not since they had started traveling together. she knew it was too important to him. "And you'd want to become a full demon with the jewel, then?" she pressed. Inuyasha folded his arms once more and shrugged his broad shoulders casually.  
  
"Depends," he said simply, elusively.  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, frustrated. But when Inuyasha just shrugged nonchalantly once more, it occurred to the sixteen year old that maybe it would be better to continue this conversation at a later date - no matter how much she wanted to also get to the bit about why he didn't mention KIKYO in his wish - talking about it in front of Sango and Miroku would most likely just agitate the young hanyou.  
  
"So, Sango, it's your turn." The dog demon said firmly, confirming Kagome's thoughts. Ah well, she could discuss it with him some other time. when they were alone. but when were they ever alone?  
  
"Oh. I don't know what I'd wish," Sango sighed. Sure, she enjoyed the coversation enough when it was other people spilling their guts (She and Miroku being intense, closet gossipers.) but when it came time for her to admit something private. it was a whole different ballgame. Sango didn't like talking about her loss - and hated pity equally as much. "I wish." But she wouldn't lie. "That." And everyone knew about her home and the massacre. and since there was a rule against killing people, that ruled the Naraku idea out. "My village was still alive. I wish my family was back," she finally said in the smallest of voices.  
  
Immediately everyone's gazes took on a compassionate tone they desperately tried to hide - they also knew that Sango hated pity. And while Inuyasha's gruesome childhood was terrible, his wounds weren't so raw and fresh. He had had time to dwell on his dead family, whereas Sango was still partially in shock.  
  
Sango tucked a long lock of hair behind her ear, her face straight, and didn't protest when Miroku inched a little closer.  
  
"A good wish," he said simply. And it indeed, did seem to sum up Sango's wish. "And, for my serious wish. I wish that." He gave Sango the most inconspicuous of despairing looks, before forging onward. "That my family had never had the wind tunnel curse placed upon us,"  
  
"That's a good wish too," Sango said, smiling lightly. The two shared a brief moment of connection and loss, before a little kitsune quickly threw himself into his wish - apparently unable to wait any longer before expressing his deepest want.  
  
"I wish that we would all stay together forever!" he squealed, a large, innocent smile stretching from one side of his face to the other, looking pleased with himself for having thought up such a wonderfully brilliant idea. He loved all of his new friends, just as much as his deceased parents it seemed, as the days went by, so why shouldn't they all be together and happy until the end of time?  
  
Everyone looked briefly, intensely sad at Shippou's statement - billions of reasons as to why this could never come to pass flashing through their heads - family curses, deep vendettas, undead mikos, different time periods and unrequited loves. but then they caved in to the general, endearing naivety of Shippou's wish, and Kagome drew the little demon into a big hug.  
  
"Oh Shippou, that was a wonderful wish," she complimented, burying her face in his messy red hair. "And that would be. very nice if it ever happened," she added. Everyone glanced around at everyone else in the room for a second, imagining what it would be liked if they all stayed friends until they were all old and cranky. before also breaking out into smiles. Yeah. That would be just fine.  
  
*  
  
"Ohmigosh!" Kagome gasped after a moment, dropping the ecstatic little Shippou and staring out the window. "Look at what time it is! The sun's about to set! How long have we been talking?"  
  
"A couple hours I suppose." Miroku admitted, getting to his feet and wincing at the leg cramps he found upon standing. Inuyasha yawned and cracked various body parts while Sango quickly went to retrieve her boomerang bone, sensing it was time to depart. Kirara made a little mewing sound and awoke from her slumber in time to follow Sango out the door.  
  
"Come on, we've already dawdled long enough here - we have to get back to Lady Kaede!" she called back.  
  
"Right, well, at least this journey wasn't a total waste," Kagome commented, as she shouldered her pack and exited the cottage. "We got another shikon shard!" She tried to sound generally happy about the idea, rather than hesitant and a little depressed. ever since Kikyo had taken the shards from her and given them to Naraku. she had been feeling somewhat despondent about the matter of the shikon jewel, and could only thank whatever Gods were listening that Inuyasha loved Kikyo too much to be angry about the whole idea. She knew he would be raging mad if anyone had stolen the precious shards but Kikyo - unfortunately, that didn't mean Kagome was necessarily happy with the idea, and that thought had gone into her second wish.  
  
"Yes, it was a good find." Miroku said, hopping onto the transformed Kirara with a still rather awkward Sango. She only hoped her guilt over her harsh words would soon disperse and get rid of this aching hole in her chest.  
  
"Hey, what about Itazura!" Shippou asked as Sango pulled him onto the large cat demon. "Isn't she going to grant our wishes?" There was a sudden, long, uncomfortable pause as everyone stared at Shippou carefully.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, pup," Inuyasha finally said, once no one else volunteered to explain about the wishes, and folding his arms. "There's no way that witch could really pull off giving us our wishes - it's unfeasible!" Shippou looked notably crestfallen at Inuyasha's harsh words, and Kagome's heart instantly went out to him.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Shippou," she said, realizing that the enlightening conversation the group had held back in the cottage may have meant slightly more to Shippou than she had first assumed. "I'll leave a letter for Itazura back in the cabin, thanking her for offering the wishes anyway - okay?" she offered, petting his head gently, her brown eyes shimmering.  
  
"But. the dreams aren't going to come true?" Shippou asked, sounding crushed.  
  
"Um- no. No I don't think so," she said apologetically, as Sango and Miroku winced from behind the little fox demon. They suddenly felt like really big jerks.  
  
So, trotting back into the house, while retrieving a pen and paper, Kagome scrawled in her most neat handwriting a letter to the witch who was undoubtedly still attending her son's grave:  
  
Dear Itazura,  
  
We are all, once again, very sorry for the loss of your honorable son, and wish you nothing but happiness for the rest of your life. We must travel back to our village now - as it is getting late, but please understand that we thank you very much for letting us keep the shikon shard Shiroba obtained, and also thank you for the generous offering of two wishes each. Unfortunately we cannot accept this munificent gift, and must leave your home presently.  
  
Our condolences,  
  
Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippou.  
  
Sighing heavily, Kagome placed the piece of paper where it could be easily found by the witch, and then quickly jogged out of house, giving it one last glance. Well, it HAD been a nice idea, but.  
  
To her surprise, Kirara and her riders had already gotten a head start on the village, seeing as Inuyasha was very capable of out running them, and now waiting for the Japanese School Girl alone was her hanyou friend, waiting by the moonlight for her to emerge. She smiled kindly, going to grab her heavy bag.  
  
It surprised her a little when Inuyasha took the bag for her, throwing it over his back and then gesturing for her to come forward. However, she was notably more startled when the demon to her in his arms, with his hands on her back and under her knees, so that she sat facing him now. Acting on instinct, she threw her arms around his neck as he launched himself into the sky, flying in the direction of Kaede's village without a word, golden eyes flashing.  
  
Blushing slightly, Kagome wondered what had spurred this sudden change in her friend, and the thought only made her want to address the business of Inuyasha's peculiar wishes, and Kikyo, all the more - what was going on? What was changing in him? Did she even mind?  
  
And, glancing up at the hanyou as he flashed her a hesitant smile while continuing to travel along, a smile that almost asked 'Is this all right?' Kagome realized that, no, she didn't mind. This would be fine. Inuyasha always had his reasons for acting the way he did, and Kagome abruptly realized she would be willing to stand by his side no matter what decisions he made - Just looking at him made her happy. She hoped she had the same affect on him.  
  
* And in the shadows of the cabin, a figure crouched low next to the window, waiting until the silver haired demon and his gifted companion had fully disappeared into the forest before standing up at scuffling into the house, frizzy hair framing her narrow face. Itazura was smiling.  
  
It would be a hard job to pull off - no doubt about that - and the monk hadn't been lying when he said that granting wishes as powerful as these was extremely difficult and near impossible. But she COULD do it . most likely. Probably. Well Hell, she was going to give it a shot! As a witch, people rarely offered to help Itazura out, even in her most dire times of need, and for offering her their unconditional assistance, Itazura was determined to make sure the group was fairly rewarded. It was only what they deserved.  
  
"Never fear, young ones," Itazura said softly, pulling from under her robes a glowing amulet that emanated a frost blue color. "You will get what you said you desired, and will live the rest of your days happily in a dream filled with your most treasured wishes!"  
  
*  
  
"Children!" Kaede called; hobbling out of her hut and into the dark, early morning as she spotted the six weary travelers who often resided at her village, return at last. They had been gone for a few months, and she had begun to worry about their welfare. Every time this group left, there was always the option that they might never return.  
  
"Lady Kaede! Good morning!" Miroku said cheerfully, hopping off Kirara with Sango, to go meet the withered miko. The sun rested firmly behind the mountains in the distance; but the group had been traveling all night, and soon the sun would rise to greet the new day. Kirara yawned widely as she reverted to her smaller form, fully prepared to take another nap.  
  
Inuyasha, who had indeed long since caught up to the group, let the sixteen year old in his arms down to the ground slightly hesitantly, feeling the distinct ache of loss as the soft, warm body separated from his, in favor of stretching her legs and laughing at something Shippou said. Did she too feel as though she had just let a part of herself, as valuable and arm or leg, disconnect to wander freely? It was odd that the girl affected him this much, but at least the look in Kagome's expressive eyes told him she felt the same way, at least a little. Mutual pain was something Inuyasha usually abhorred, but just then it gave him comfort.  
  
"Sorry we were gone so long, but we ran into a shikon shard on the way back." Sango explained to Kaede as she and Miroku stopped in front of the woman.  
  
"Aye, and did you gain possession of it?" she asked. She knew the troubles the group was currently having with shikon shards, and sympathized with them, honestly baffled with her elder sisters' actions.  
  
"Yep!" Kagome called cheerily, approaching Kaede as well, and proudly showing off a tiny shard glinting in her hands. "One down. lots of others to go," the girl sighed. Kaede chuckled, her one eye scrunching up as she listened to Kagome moan about their lack of jewel. They had obtained so much! - only to have it stolen from them from the least likely of culprits. It must be hard.  
  
The sky turned a steady golden color, as the sun slowly began to peak just above the mountains, bringing warmth to the day.  
  
"Well, you must all be famished after your trip, and I have some breakfast back at the hut if anyone would like to partake?." the old woman offered knowingly. There was a quick exchange of enthusiastic agreements and thanks, as everyone began to follow Kaede back to her home where already the smell of rice and mouth watering spices were wafting from the hut.  
  
And then the glowing, bright sun burst up dramatically into its rightful place in the picturesque blue sky, its powerful rays beaming happily down upon the Earth.  
  
"Ah!" Kagome shrieked, feeling an electrical current shoot through her body as her limbs began to shake, quickly doubling over and staring at the ground with an open mouth. Inuyasha was at her side in a second, Shippou dancing nervously around the fallen miko as Kaede, Sango and Miroku looked on in horror.  
  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha barked, appearing a little bit scared as Kagome continued to convulse in his arms. "What's wrong? Say something!"  
  
"I-I!" she gasped, trying to control her erratic breathing as she stared blankly into the distance. "I can't stop it!"  
  
"Can't stop what?" Miroku asked, his fingers curling dangerously around his staff as Sango put a hand to her mouth. What in the seven hells was going on?  
  
And then, much to Kaede's horror, there was a blinding flash of blue light, that erupted suddenly from above the group and then zoomed down to encase all five people, everyone stuck under the umbrella of blue immediately beginning to shimmer with energy and magic. Kaede cried out in horror and started forward, unable to do anything as the blue energy began to tremor and shake the ground, eventually creating a small explosion that threw the village miko backwards.  
  
Everyone screamed in fear, feeling their bodies begin to get lighter, thinner, less whole. they were drifting away from the Earth they knew and were desperately clawing onto what self they had left. They refused to be taken without a fight, but it was hard to battle when your soul was being sucked out of you, demanding that you follow and be quick about it. They were helpless.  
  
Kaede looked up just in time to see the blue energy close in on itself with a final 'boom', shrinking into nothing and leaving the small residue of magic and power in its wake.  
  
They were gone. All of them. Even Kirara.  
  
All around Kaede village occupants were emerging from their homes in the early morning, blinking into the sun and nervously searching for the source of the explosion and unexplainable feeling of kismet that had just recently washed over them all. Was there a demon about? Kaede shakily got to her feet and wondered what she was supposed to do, or what she should say. How could one explain what had just transpired? Had her old eyes, dulled with age, even seen what had just happened correctly?  
  
Or had Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippou really all just vanished before her eyes upon the rising of the sun, disappearing with a small Earth tremor and a blast of frost blue magic?  
  
*  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Okay, I'm not going to lie. The next chapter won't be out for a while. But I PROMISE you it's going to be really good and a lot funnier than this chapter. From here on out the real adventure begins, and it's all just going to be incredibly weird. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it would make me soooo happy if everyone would review. Thanks for reading and stayed tuned!  
  
-Rio Grande.  
  
P.S- Oh my God. I just realized I've never actually completed a story that I've started. Not even my one shots. It's like, physically impossible for me to finish any fics that I create! And that's bad! Um. Well. Anyway, have a nice day! Review! 


	2. Of Parents and Evil Plots

Hey all,  
  
Hmm. sorry about the wait, but I warned people in advance that I'm bad with updating (I even consider updating this soon pretty quick for me.) so you can't blame it on me! I mean, if you want to get technical about it you can, but, you know, I'd appreciate it if you didn't. And stuff.  
  
SO! I'm glad people who reviewed enjoyed the previous chapter, and if you didn't review, I'll only forgive you if you remember to do it this time. I really REALLY need the encouragement!  
  
I don't own Inuyasha and enjoy.  
  
Oh, um, P.S- Just because this made me feel all weird in one of the reviews - I'm a girl!  
  
*  
  
Kagome awoke to the bright sun's rays pouring in through her window and bathing her in a golden light, much as it had done for the past sixteen years of her life - whenever she happened to wake up at home, which was becoming a rare occurrence as of late. Letting out a little sigh, she put one hand over her face to block the intense beams, proceeding to roll over on her side, hoping just for five more minutes of sleep. Just five more minutes and then she'd-  
  
It was then that she remembered.  
  
Shooting up in bed, Kagome gripped the sheets on her bed until her knuckles turned white as her head swiveled around the room quickly; eyes wide and mind slow as she tried to piece everything together. What had happened? Why was she back in the modern era? That explosion! The pain in her chest! The blue light! Her friends! How had she gotten back in her bed?  
  
Shakily getting to her feet, Kagome scanned the premises for anything suspicious, unsure whether to be disappointed or relieved when she found nothing out of the ordinary in her pastel colored room. On the one hand, she was apparently now out of danger. But on the other, she was thoroughly confused. Where had all that magic that had been attacking her gone? Had she passed out, and then been brought back home by Inuyasha? Wouldn't be the first time.  
  
The last thing the girl remembered was a deep, powerful magic rushing at her, and filling her to the brim with a mighty spell Kagome knew would mean nothing but trouble for she and her friends. She had tried to repel it, and send it back to its master - but it had been too potent, and in the end had overcome her, leaving the young miko scared and wary. What was this spell forcing itself on her, and what was its purpose?  
  
Kagome didn't have a chance to consider the numerous options that this thought presented, because it was at that moment that an ear piercing shriek filled the Higurashi home. An eerily familiar shriek, that seemed wildly out of place. Kagome narrowed her eyes and quickly left her room, briskly trotting down the hall, while searching for the source of the cry.  
  
She found it in her family's guestroom. That was suddenly. no longer a guestroom.  
  
"Shippou?" Kagome asked, eyes widening as she spotted the small kitsune in the old guestroom, which had been completely transformed into a child's bedroom, apparently overnight. The sensation of seeing the little demon in modern times made Kagome's head spin, but as she looked at Shippou continue to cry his eyes out, it occurred to Kagome that maybe there were other things to be concerned about currently. "Shippou what's wrong?"  
  
"Kagome?" the little kitsune demon sniffed, pausing in his sobs to acknowledge his friend and, as of late, maternal figure. "Kagome! What's happened!? Where am I!?" Acting on instinct, Kagome dropped to her knees, kneeling by the white and blue toddler bed, and swept Shippou up into her arms while cradling him gently.  
  
"I don't know." she said, patting Shippou as he continued to tremble in her embrace. "I mean - I know! But I don't know why YOU'RE here,"  
  
"Hu?" Shippou snuffled.  
  
"You're in my time, Shippou!" Kagome explained, holding him away briefly so that he could look into her eyes. "You've been transported to year 2003!" Shippou visibly took a moment to register this information, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.  
  
".But. how?" he breathed after a moment, letting Kagome put him back on his bed as he now scanned the room slowly, taking in everything with a new degree of fascination. "And why?"  
  
"I can't tell you that Shippou, I mean, no one besides Inuyasha has ever come here!. but do you remember-"  
  
"Shippou!" a worried voice called, as a new figure threw open the door to the room and startled both occupants. "I heard a scream and came as fast as I could. What's going on?"  
  
It was Kagome's mother, Aiko Higurashi, and she was staring straight at Shippou with a concerned, motherly expression on her face.  
  
"Umm." Shippou, whose cheeks were now dirty and tear stained, replied intelligently.  
  
"Oh, baby, are you all right?" Mrs. Higurashi continued, kneeling by Shippou and putting her hands on his tiny shoulders.  
  
"Mother?" Kagome asked unbelievingly. How did she know Shippou's name? She'd never seen him before!  
  
"Hm?" Mrs. Higurashi replied, sounding distracted as she scanned a confused Shippou for any sign of detectable injury.  
  
"You know Shippou?" the girl squeaked, putting a hand to her head.  
  
"Now what sort of a question is that?" Kagome's mother said in a rather agitated tone of voice, turning to her eldest daughter and putting one hand on her hip. "Of course I know my own son!"  
  
*  
  
Our Maze Of Dreams  
  
By Rio Grande  
  
Chapter Two: Of Parents And Evil Plots  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha had never been in his life, to his knowledge, so completely baffled.  
  
On some levels, everything around him was oddly familiar and nostalgic, reminding him of days long ago that he had almost completely forgotten when his life had taken a rather dramatic turn, and he had begun to lead a life as a vagabond of sorts. Well, he was a vagabond compared to what he had used to be, when he had lived in a palace like this one.  
  
But because Inuyasha had found himself in a palace, with princely clothing left out neatly for him to adorn, and obedient servants waiting just outside the door, on another level, this was all very disorienting. What in the seven hells was going on here, and where were his friends?!  
  
Inuyasha distinctly recalled feeling a great deal of pain, power, and an impending sense of doom when last he was conscious, and it scared him all the more to wonder just what had happened to that scenario, and why he was now dressed as the prince he had once been when his parents were still alive and living at their castle in the West. It all just left him feeling much as though he were his four-year-old self once more.  
  
'I remember when I used to wear expensive clothing such as these.' Inuyasha said, pulling on his robes as he cautiously stuck his head out the door of his lavishly furnished room. All of this wealth and luxurious upholstery was making him slightly nervous, being the dirty hanyou that he was, and he needed to get out of this palace. Hopefully this action would also, eventually, reunite him with Kagome and the others.  
  
Noticing a docile servant waiting patiently outside his door, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed evilly. Quick as a flash, his hand shot out, and when it returned to him it held within its mighty grip one scared servant, staring at Inuyasha with no small degree of horror.  
  
"Y-your Royal Highness!" the little demon servant squeaked. This title triggered a memory for Inuyasha. Royal Highness. That's what they had called him back in the palace. it was the title for a prince or princess.  
  
"Where the hell am I?" Inuyasha growled, pushing this information to the back of his mind, to be examined more closely at a later date.  
  
"B-but. you're in your palace sir!" the servant choked, its face turning an uncomfortable shade of purple, as Inuyasha didn't loosen his grip around its throat. Inuyasha looked skeptical at the servant's words.  
  
"My own palace? I don't have a palace! What is this - some trick of Naraku's? Have I been kidnapped and taken here? And where are my companions?!" However, Inuyasha's rant seemed to only baffle the little servant all the more, and soon he was whimpering so piteously in Inuyasha's death grip that the half demon had no choice but to let him go. The demon servant dropped to the ground, where he stayed on his knees and continued to genuflect before Inuyasha. This made the hanyou notably uncomfortable. Why was this idiot bowing before the demon who had just nearly killed him? It made him feel like someone not unlike Sesshomaru, and THAT Inuyasha especially hated. Sighing, and rubbing his head, Inuyasha decided that maybe it was time for a different approach.  
  
"Um. okay - so let me try this again. Who are you? Where the Hell am I? And why are you addressing me as your prince?" Inuyasha shot gruffly, folding his arms and peering down at the sniffling servant who lay at his (extremely well dressed.) feet.  
  
"Because you ARE a prince!" the servant cried out hysterically, near tears. Inuyasha snorted, rolling his golden eyes heavenwards.  
  
"Yeah right, like that's-"  
  
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha where are you?" a feminine voice called, echoing off the high ceiling of the hall Inuyasha currently stood in. Inuyasha tensed, his eyes going wide, and his posture freezing as he stared down the hall, waiting for the owner of the voice to come around the corner. That. that voice. it was so familiar. it was.  
  
"Mother?" Inuyasha breathed, looking at Lady Inu of the Western lands come sweeping around the hall in a flurry of finely made kimonos and long, silky raven hair. Inuyasha couldn't breath as she approached him with a smile painted onto her rosy lips.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she said, rather condescendingly. "Where have you been? Everyone is waiting for you downstairs. It's time for breakfast!"  
  
"Breakfast." Inuyasha repeated slowly, as the little servant quickly scurried out of harms way.  
  
"Yes! Breakfast! Now hurry, or your father will be angry."  
  
Feeling much as though he had fallen into a dream, and not a particularly unpleasant one at that, Inuyasha let himself be led down the winding hall, so familiar in every way, by his smiling mother, her soft, delicate hands smooth as satin on his arm.  
  
He had a father? His father was alive? He was going to get to see his father? He hardly remembered his father, the old man having died when he was very young. not that his mother hadn't too, but his father had died much earlier on. Hell, he couldn't even remember the sound of his voice.  
  
"Here we are!" his mother said in her flowing soprano, entering the dining room with Inuyasha next to her, smiling pleasantly. Inuyasha took a look around and his breath was immediately caught in his throat. His heart stopped beating.  
  
It was exactly the same.  
  
Now, Inuyasha had only been around three the last time he was in this place, but the picture was suddenly resurrected in his mind, and it matched perfectly with the scene displayed before him now.  
  
A shimmering room, filled with riches and tapestries and every sort of luxury a demon could want. A long table splattered with fine china and steaming, scrumptious delicacies prepared by the Inu's personal cooking staff. And along the table with the nobles of the castle: Inuyasha's family. Advisors. Allies to the Western lands. It was all like a living, breathing fantasy for the deprived hanyou, especially as his eyes fell upon his father, sitting proudly at the end of the table with his head of glimmering silver hair, familiar golden eyes, and dark markings along his face that signaled he was a true demon. King Daisuke. Lord of the Western lands. and his father.  
  
And while Inuyasha would love to believe that this happy scene before him was real - the practical part of him wasn't buying into that idea.  
  
'This is a trick. A mirage. I'm hallucinating. Any second now I'm going to wake up in the clutches of another one of Naraku's traps.' The half demon decided firmly, letting his mother seat him next to his father, never once letting his guard down the whole while.  
  
"Well, glad you could make it," King Daisuke Inu chuckled, shaking his head at his favorite son. All around Inuyasha other nobles burst into polite little chortles, and Inuyasha felt himself redden. This atmosphere was far too friendly, far too familiar. It lulled him into a false sense of security, and he couldn't afford to let that happen.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Inuyasha said hesitantly, eyeing his 'father' warily as the demon's attention was brought elsewhere.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for everyone? Dig in," King Inu said jovially, proceeding to cut into his own breakfast, and thus signaling that others could start as well now. Quickly, the sound of utensils and cutlery clanging against china filled the large room. and Inuyasha hesitated. Should he eat? Was this food poisoned? Would it look too suspicious if he hesitated? Did he even care what these people thought? They were obviously not real.  
  
"Something wrong Inuyasha?" Queen Inu asked, leaning over to her son with a concerned expression flickering in her deep brown eyes. "Do you not like your breakfast?" Those eyes. they were so honest, so loving. It made him want to do whatever she said. But.  
  
"No, it's fine," Inuyasha said brusquely, casually picking up his chopsticks, and making a motion as though he were about to commence eating. This made Queen Inu relax, and she quickly turned back to her own meal. Inuyasha then proceeded to tactfully push his food around his plate, while silently getting a good look at everyone around the table.  
  
They were all mostly demon nobles, since this was a demon court, and they were the sort of powerful demons who, if Inuyasha were anywhere else, wouldn't be caught dead dining with a human and a lowly hanyou. However, since they were at his father's palace, and since everyone knew better then to question Daisuke's rule, Inuyasha was always accepted in his father's home. That thought used to bring a smile to Inuyasha's face, when he remembered how SAFE he used to be with his father. but now it only made his stomach churn uncomfortably. This wasn't REAL! This setup, no matter how convincing, wasn't reality, and Inuyasha couldn't let himself believe that he was truly protected within these walls.  
  
Suddenly, a little detail caught Inuyasha's attention, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.  
  
"Where's Sesshomaru?" he spat.  
  
Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before? This must be Sesshomaru's doing! The conniving bastard had tried to use Inuyasha's deceased family against him before, and probably wouldn't hesitate to do it again. This entire thing was most likely just another attempt to steal the Tetsusaiga from him! Why, even now, the revered blade was no longer at Inuyasha's hip. The half demon clenched his clawed fists threateningly as the thought burned into his mind and made him growl uncontrollably. "Where is he?!" Usually, if his memory served him correctly, Sesshomaru sat to the left of his father. but today the demon was suspiciously absent.  
  
All around the table, lords and ladies looked taken a back at the young prince's outburst, and Inuyasha's fake parents appeared to be particularly disturbed.  
  
"Why, who is Sesshomaru?" Queen Kimiko Inu asked, her delicate features placed in a small frown.  
  
"My brother, that's who!" Inuyasha barked fiercely.  
  
"Now, no need to get defensive my boy," Inuyasha's father said, looking a bit perturbed as Inuyasha got to his feet and scanned the dining room fervently, as if expecting the dreaded half brother to be waiting in the shadows at that very moment. "Just calm down," he added in a harsher tone.  
  
This command, so fatherly and demanding, almost unconsciously made Inuyasha go back to his seat, where he continued to simmer suspiciously, letting his mother rest one hand on his shoulder none the less.  
  
"Inuyasha." she said cautiously. "We don't know what you're talking about. You don't HAVE a brother."  
  
"But- he's my half brother," Inuyasha tried, feeling very frustrated. What sort of tricks were these people playing now?  
  
"You don't have a half brother either," his mother confirmed, a small smile playing around the edges of her mouth now. "Is this some sort of game Inuyasha? Are you trying to be amusing?"  
  
"No!" Inuyasha quickly spat, shaking his head. "It's Sesshomaru! He's my half brother and he's after the Tetsusaiga!"  
  
"The Tetsusaiga?" King Inu said, frowning deeply. "But - it's right here, with me," And indeed, strapped to his father's waist was the mighty Steel Cleaving Fang, looking more healthy and tended for than Inuyasha had ever seen it, resting peacefully in its powerful scabbard. Inuyasha got to his feet once more, eyes locked on the weapon.  
  
"How did you get it?!" he asked, nearly shaking with a mixture of fury and confusion. How dare this imposter take his sword! How dare he! "Give it back!" Unthinkingly, Inuyasha rushed forward at the thing wearing his father's face, claws extended, and fangs bared. Sesshomaru was going to be in for a nasty surprise if he thought he could play this sort of trick on Inuyasha TWICE and get away with it!  
  
"My Lord! Be careful! Inuyasha - what are you doing?!" Lady Inu cried, throwing her hands to her face as she watched her son violently hurl himself at her husband.  
  
"Son!" Lord Inu boomed, his eyes taking on a dark tint as he watched Inuyasha leap at him. Acting on instinct, the demon King gracefully ripped the Tetsusaiga from his waist and used the broad side of it to shield himself from Inuyasha's fearsome attack. This action created a shining, hard, and painful force field that pushed Inuyasha back with the customary blinding flash of light that created a small explosion with its presence.  
  
This action was so familiar to Inuyasha, as he had performed it many times himself when in danger, and the look on his father's face was of such utter confusion and helplessness, yet containing an inner burning passion that reminded Inuyasha so completely of himself, the young hanyou fell back almost simply because he was surprised, landing sharply on his butt.  
  
"Oomph!" Inuyasha hissed, shaking a bit as he quickly recovered from his father's powerful block.  
  
"Inuyasha!" his mother cried once more, throwing herself at his side, and hesitantly helping him to his feet with glimmering eyes. "What's gotten into you?"  
  
"I-I." Inuyasha said, looking at that face that truly held worry and love for . him. She was concerned about him. And that look in her eyes was too memorable to be fake, as she had given it to him many times when he was younger. Even his father, though still in a defensive position, looked immensely concerned for his only son. Inuyasha felt his heart constrict oddly. This was. very disorienting.  
  
"Come, let us to the garden," his mother said softly, leading him away from the scared onlookers at the dining table, and to the back door where servants stood waiting. "I do believe you need some fresh air. Perhaps we HAVE been keeping you too cooped up with your studies."  
  
"Y-yes," King Inu agreed, running a claw through his shimmering silver hair that pooled around his shoulders. "Everyone, please continue your breakfast. We will return shortly," And with that, the entire royal family excused themselves to the garden, speaking in hushed tones.  
  
And even as Inuyasha tried to organize his wildly scattered thoughts, while clutching his head and attempting to control his erratic breathing. he noted that the garden was familiar as well. Fields of exotic and beautiful flowers, spots of shade created by gracefully winding, bending, lush trees and the occasional stone bench scattered about a dirt path. He breathed in the familiar floral scent, and the moist, extremely well cared for dirt. It helped to calm his frizzed nerves... very possibly because Kagome usually smelled flowery as well.  
  
"Inuyasha, would you care to explain what that performance was about?" His mother said once all three family members were outside, and had a proper amount of privacy. "Are you ill?"  
  
"No. no - I'm not ill!" Inuyasha groaned, taking a seat on a marble bench and resting his head in his hands. His parents traded worried glances before taking seats on either side of him, their movements cautious, as though they were dealing with a recently sedated, violent beast.  
  
"Then what was all that?" his father asked suspiciously. "Your half brother Sesshomaru? Honestly, I think we'd know if you had a brother,"  
  
"Yes," Inuyasha agreed dully, if not only to get the man off his back. So no one knew Sesshomaru existed besides him. all right. that was okay. he'd deal. Actually, it was rather.  
  
Nice.  
  
No more Sesshomaru. No more evil brothers around to torment and torture him when he was at his weakest. No more cruel, sadistic, unreasonably strong bastards around to put he and his friends at risk. No more Sesshomaru trying to steal the Tetsusaiga.  
  
Hell, this was bloody perfect! Why hadn't he seen how good this was before? Why had he been CONCERNED over the fact that Sesshomaru didn't exist in this place?  
  
And while Inuyasha was still very hesitant in believing that any of this was real - if it did in fact turn out to be reality, at least he wouldn't have to live with his annoying brother any longer!  
  
However there was another thing that was oddly unsettling about this whole scenario. It all seemed a bit like. like.  
  
His wishes. From back at Itazura's house.  
  
"Oh my God," Inuyasha said, abruptly standing, and staring off into the distance, over the fence at the back of the garden, where the path ended.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Queen Inu asked, staring after her son as he raced to the back of the garden, and the edge of the Inu's private property. Honestly, what was amiss with her son today?  
  
As if in a daze, Inuyasha came to stand just next to the fence, one shaking hand clutching the barrier as he gazed off into the distance, slack jawed. Those structures. so tall, so massive, so filled with life. There were so many people out there, so many different auras, so much energy! This too was familiar, although not because it was a distant memory. It was because he had seen it all recently. It was. he was.  
  
In Kagome's time!  
  
*  
  
"Please, stand still my Lady," a polite little servant requested, taking an obi and winding it around Sango's small waist carefully, with nimble, quick hands, while Sango continued to squirm and peer around the room cautiously.  
  
"Oh. Sorry." Sango said distantly, trying hard to conceal her fear and suspicion as she let a collection of female servants dress her in the finest silk kimono Sango had ever had the privilege to lay eyes upon - much less wear.  
  
Said kimono was a dusty gray color, glimmering in a way that made it appear almost silver, with dark flowers scattering its length. It was accompanied by a rich, subtle, brown obi with a nicely stitched flower pattern as well. And it felt like heaven on Sango's pale flesh. but she had no time to marvel over this. In fact, it was almost besides the point. There were more important things to be concerned with now, and Sango wouldn't let her guard down for a minute.  
  
Why was she in a rich noble's home? Why were these servants treating her as their Lady? Didn't they see that she was nothing but a traveling youkai hunter? Just minutes earlier, Sango had been awoken by a collection of servants, all speaking very quickly about one urgent thing or another, addressing her formally and - before the woman had gathered her wits and had time to protest - began to undress her.  
  
It was at this point that Sango began to worry.  
  
Just where was she? Why was she being dressed as well as any princess would be, and how come she was no longer with her companions? She remembered there being some sort of explosion in Kaede's village, and just after her world turned a peculiar color of blue she also recalled blacking out due to the extreme pain rushing through her veins in place of blood. But now.. Now she was here.  
  
And she had absolutely no idea as to why.  
  
"Excuse me," she asked, politely as she could, as the servants began to lead her out of the room with gently prodding hands, all murmuring quietly among themselves. Apparently they were in some sort of rush.  
  
"Yes Lady Sango?" they all replied quickly, bowing their heads, as though awaiting further instruction. It made Sango uncomfortable, as she had never had any servants of her own before, and didn't know what to say to them. Oh, hell.  
  
"Could you all tell me where I am?" she asked flatly, giving off a fake smile, and preparing to defend herself if these seemingly innocent servants should turn out to be enemies - even without her boomerang bone, which was apparently missing.  
  
"What do you mean Lady Sango?" one of the servants asked, cocking her head. "You are at home."  
  
"Home," Sango repeated, narrowing her eyes. "And where exactly is home?"  
  
But before anyone had time to elaborate on this, a high-pitched mewing sound reached Sango's ears, and immediately the seventeen year old dropped to the ground to meet her little cat youkai.  
  
"Kirara!" she gasped, sweeping her favorite pet into her arms and hugging her. Well, at least not EVERYONE was missing. "Do you know where we are, pet?" she whispered conspiratorially into the cat demon's ear, slowly rising to her feet. She was hardly surprised when Kirara gave no verbal answer.  
  
"My lady, we really must hurry, your father said-"  
  
"Sango!" someone cried, throwing open the door to the richly furnished room, and nearly making Sango's heart stop. The girl stood silently for a moment as she watched the new person rush into the room happily, squeezing Kirara perhaps a bit too tightly, and watching the servants part respectfully to the side as someone of a higher status entered Sango's bedroom.  
  
It was Kohaku.  
  
"K-Kohaku." Sango gasped quietly, not believing her eyes as her finely dressed, totally healthy younger brother hopped into the room and stood before her, smiling. Her throat closed up, but she blinked away any sign of tears or anything that could potentially reveal she was very touched by his sudden presence. She had been ensnared in one too many spells that centered around her weakness over Kohaku to be fooled once more. "What are."  
  
"Father, err, Master beckons you!" he said cheerfully, a smile spreading across his freckled face as he rocked back on the balls of his feet, and acting much as he had on that day. that fateful day before they had gone to meet their doom by way of a spider demon.  
  
"Father." Sango said, stepping forward as though in a trance, part of her desperate to see if Kohaku's words were true, another part of her vehemently warning her against following this Kohaku look alike. It was probably one of her enemy's tricks. Or more specifically. Naraku's.  
  
'If only Kagome-chan were here, she could tell me if there was the presence of a shikon shard on my brother. or if he's really back to life.' However even as she thought this idea, the improbability of it all hit Sango full on. This was ridiculous. How could her family be alive? She had seen the graves of every single person in her village, and knew better than to believe they could all be alive once more. Why was she letting her imagination get the better of her? This was OBVIOUSLY a trap.  
  
"Yes. let's see father," Sango said after a moment, holding her head up high as she was led out of the room. What was this? Was someone trying to create a utopia for her in an effort to let her defenses drop? This was preposterous. And she was going to get to the bottom of it all.  
  
"He said he has something special planned for you but won't tell anyone about it! It's a really big surprise and I wanna know what it is!" Kohaku babbled, trotting along next to his elder sister, with a parade of servants following silently behind.  
  
"Hm. so do I," 'Then I can rip my enemies heart out and curse him for making me live through this false dream - it hurts just to look at you, Kohaku. You seem so real!' Sango thought, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the vision of her beloved brother dance along next to her. She kept her eyes closed all the way as they walked down the finely crafted stairs of the large estate Sango had found herself in, physically unable to look at Kohaku any longer. and it wasn't until a booming voice caught her attention did Sango even dare observe her surroundings.  
  
"Sango! It's about time you woke up!" a painfully familiar voice chortled from merely a few feet ahead. From her peripheral vision she saw Kohaku trot on ahead to the man waiting at the end of the hall. And although she didn't want to, although she knew it would tear her heart in two to see his face, although she knew she would regret it, Sango lifted her head up to see. her late Father. "I have a surprise for you!" her father, her wonderful, brave, strong, noble father said, folding his arms and smiling at his eldest daughter. Sango stared at him dully, suddenly feeling much as though someone had just punched her in the gut.  
  
He looked the same as she remembered him, basically. Dark hair, broad shoulders, weather worn skin. but now he wore fine robes and jewelry, and appeared to have taken on the role of rich lord. This confused Sango a bit, and she distantly wondered why the enemy had chosen this scenario for her family to live in.  
  
It was then that she noticed the people around her.  
  
Walking down the halls, dining in side rooms, bustling about while talking and laughing. were the members of her old village. Old and young, male and female they were all there, dressed finely and taking the place as occupants of a noble household. It was obvious that she and her family held the highest status in the house, but something in Sango's heart bubbled happily at the sight of her old friends all living so comfortably. Against her will, a small smile appeared on her face.  
  
"They're all here." she breathed, momentarily forgetting this was all just an evil trick.  
  
"Come Sango, to the drawing room, we have much to discuss," her father said, throwing one arm around her shoulder and leading the stunned teen to a lavishly decorated room. Halting, Lord Shiro turned to look at his son, frowning playfully. "But not you Kohaku,"  
  
"Aww man!" Kohaku whined, scuffing his foot on the floor before running off, whistling a merry tune. Sango stared after him, barely resisting the urge to follow her little brother, suddenly fearing, at the sight of his retreating back, that she might never see him again. He was running away. and she would never get to see his smiling face once more.  
  
'But he's not real, so it's not as though what you just saw was the true Kohaku anyway. Meaning there is nothing to miss,' Sango reassured herself, tensing as her father slid the rice paper door closed behind him, and kneeled on the ground, motioning for Sango to sit by him on the smooth wooden floor. Against her better judgment, Sango did as she was told.  
  
Moving in her delicately made kimono was more daunting than it looked, and she shuffled around awkwardly for a bit before getting into a comfortable kneeling position - one that would let her easily jump to her feet if the occasion called for it.  
  
"My daughter," her father started out with, using that tone he often had when discussing very important, life altering matters. She remembered him speaking in that way on a few rare occasions on the past. The fact that this thing could impersonate her father's 'serious' tone so well gave Sango pause.  
  
"Yes?" she said politely, staring intently at the man before her. His next words could determine just how this nightmare was going to end. Surely he would try and trick her with -  
  
"Do you remember that young fellow I introduced you to last week at the spring celebration? The Prince?" Sango blinked, cocking her head and frowning. That wasn't what she had been expecting.  
  
"Um. I suppose," she said carefully, wondering where this conversation was leading to now, and worrying if she should really be playing along.  
  
"Well today we will be taking a visit to his home in the Western Palace today for the annual ceremonies taking place, and it would be in your best interests to reacquaint yourself with him. It has been long discussed among our advisors, and it has been unanimously decided that a joining between our house and the royals would be fine course to take from here. I know we had discussed this option briefly, earlier, but now it has taken on a much more serious tone. Do you understand Sango?" Sango's eyes widened as she tried to take in what this man was saying. A joining? He wanted her to wed a prince? What? Where was this coming from? And how did it tie into his inevitable, evil plot to kill her?  
  
"I." she said in a small voice.  
  
"Now Sango, don't look so put out!" her father sighed, folding his arms. "This is the most respected royal family currently around! The royals of the East are simply vile, the South hasn't been too popular as of late with the noble assembly, and the North has no one with which to wed! Look at this from my point of view - look at this from your family's point of view! This uniting could be a wonderful thing for our noble Tayasu house!"  
  
"But. who is this prince?" Sango found herself asking, trying not to sound too wary or dumbfounded, or suddenly completely freaked out and scared. Marry? Her father was going to force her to marry? She would never marry anyone! Not when she had Mi-  
  
"Why, you met him last week! Don't you remember the Prince Inu?" her father asked, frowning lightly. Sango shakily got to her feet, placing one cool palm to her forehead. This was all going too fast. Was any of this real? It was starting to be too absurd to be a plan hatched by Naraku. She kept falling into this whole conspiracy and believing that the man before her was really her father when she knew that was impossible. Almost as if she really wanted everything around her to be real. And yet.  
  
"He's a demon prince?" she asked skeptically, recognizing the name Inu.  
  
"Do you have a problem with that?" her father asked, apparently finding no quarrels with marrying his only daughter off to a demon. Sango stared at him levelly before turning away and walking calmly over to a window, hoping to clear her senses with a nice morning breeze.  
  
"Sango, we'll be leaving in an hour so I'll expect you to be ready for the ride over."  
  
"Yes," Sango found herself saying dully, peering out into the distance-  
  
"Sango, is something wrong?"  
  
-And then violently beginning to shake and choke, eyes wide with fear and fascination.  
  
Just outside the window, just outside HER window! - was a metropolis of the tallest structures she had ever seen in her life! Grander than the finest palaces she had ever encountered, taller than any tree she had laid eyes upon, even! Everything was made out of a peculiar, shiny, possibly metallic material, and there were so many LIGHTS everywhere! In the sky things that were neither bird nor demon flew every which way and impossibly fast speeds, and the people in the streets, just outside her grand house, wore the most peculiar clothing! In fact, some of them looked like.  
  
"Kagome-chan," Sango realized, backing up, almost as if in fear, from the scene laid out before her. What was this? Had she landed in Kagome's time period? Indeed, she remembered Kagome describing to she and Miroku many wonders such as the ones she was viewing now - but it all seemed to big and fantastic to be real! What sort of a nightmare was she stuck in? "Father- I - I." she mumbled, stumbling back into her elder, and then tensing as she realized she had just fallen into the arms of the potential enemy. "I'm."  
  
"Sango, are you quite all right? You seem ailed. perhaps we should wait to go to the ceremonies at the Western Palace? Perhaps you should take a nap?" her father offered kindly, turning Sango around so that she faced him, and so that she was staring up at the all to familiar lines of his features with glistening eyes.  
  
"Maybe," she sniffled, unable to resist as her father drew her into a tight hug, comfortingly patting her on the back as he had used to when he was still alive in the village. His breath on her neck reminded her of all the times he had calmed her after a particularly nasty battle with a demon, or whenever she was ill. Abruptly, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, uncaring if whether or not he WAS just a mirage - because for the moment she needed nothing more than his soothing presence.  
  
And as she valiantly held back a wave of tears, it occurred to the demon exterminator just what this entire situation reminded her of. Sucking in a painful breath, the pretty girl realized everything around her was a hell of a lot like-  
  
-Her wish.  
  
*  
  
Miroku was quickly urged awake by a loud, banging sound. Sitting straight up in bed, the monk groggily blinked into the darkness of the room he lay in, trying to sort out just what that loud boom was, and if he should be at all worried about it, or if he could go back to bed.  
  
"Miroku! Miroku get up!" a loud voice called, continuing the banging.  
  
Oh. Must be Inuyasha there to wake him up. How long had be been asleep? And since when was he staying in another noble's house? He didn't remember tricking any unsuspecting rich people into letting he and his companions stay at their quarters as of late.  
  
Rolling of bed, the eighteen year old sullenly got to his feet and dragged himself over to the door. He felt as though his very eyes were being weighed down by the large bags underneath them, and was prepared to give the loud hanyou a lecture about rudely waking up people long before the appropriate time, possibly beating the notion into him if need be.  
  
That is, until he actually got to the door.  
  
The door in itself suddenly presented a task to Miroku, as the young monk looked at it with wide, purple eyes. What was this contraption? A solid, tall wooden structure that seemed to act as a portal, with a gold handle that stuck out oddly, containing an intricate shaped hole in the middle. Miroku frowned and pulled on the handle, hoping that it would let him out of the room, a seed of worry being planted in his mind as he realized the door wouldn't budge. Wait a second. was he trapped in this place? Was this a dungeon door? Was Inuyasha trying to save him?  
  
"H-hey!" he called back, a note of worry in his usually placid voice.  
  
"Come on Miroku!" the voice called back, sounding aggravated.  
  
"I-I'm trying!" Miroku replied agitatedly, wishing that Inuyasha could show just a bit more sympathy. He was locked in a prison of some sort after all!  
  
"Well try harder!" Finally, Miroku twisted the odd handle to the side, and the door came flying open easily, throwing Miroku back onto the ground.  
  
"Um." Miroku said, looking at the odd ground he had fallen onto, and touching it warily. It was a soft substance, made out of many little stitches of fabric, and he had never sent he likes of it before. Just where in the seven hells was he?.  
  
But before Miroku had a chance to observe his highly questionable surroundings, the person on the other side of the door caught his attention.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"Hu?" Miroku asked, looking up at the old man standing in the doorframe, raising an eyebrow. All right, so it wasn't Inuyasha. Well, it was an easy mistake to make anyway, they both had silver hair. but. That face - it was so. familiar. It reminded him a lot of.  
  
Himself.  
  
"DAD?" Miroku cried, jumping to his feet and staring breathlessly at the man before him. That face. that voice. it was all so vague, like a faded picture collecting dust in the attic of his brain, but this man evoked a literal explosion of memories in the back of the monk's mind, and suddenly it was all so clear. This was him. Miroku's father. Tori Houshi.  
  
His father abruptly gave off a rich, deep chuckle, throwing his head back.  
  
"Excited to see me? I thought I'd call you before stopping by to visit, but then thought better of it. Decided I'd surprise you and Shiina." The man explained, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.  
  
Miroku didn't even stop to ponder who in the world Shiina was as he approached his father, hesitantly touching his shoulder as though he were afraid he would disappear if he tried anything more then a light tap. Miroku thought he saw stars as his father quickly embraced him hard. This was.  
  
"Why, it's been months!" his father continued.  
  
"Months?" Miroku asked curiously, not willing to pull out of the embrace. "Don't you mean YEARS? What are you doing here? I thought you were sucked in by your air rip!" 'I was positive you were sucked in by your air rip. I watched you die.'  
  
"Air rip?" his father asked, looking at Miroku and scratching his partially bald head. "Whatever is an air rip?"  
  
"It's-" Miroku started, holding up his own rosary coated hand quickly in order to refresh his father's memory on just what an air rip was - when suddenly he stopped, still holding his hand up before him, only now he was staring at it, slack jawed, and nearly quivering with wonderment. "It's gone." He gasped.  
  
"What's gone?" his father asked, inspecting his only son's hand. "Just what are you getting at here?"  
  
"Oh. My God." Miroku said, stumbling back onto the mattress, never ripping his eyes away from his hand. This was a miracle! No more air rip! His father was alive! No more worrying about defeating Naraku! No more desperate attempts to create an heir! No more fretting over leaving Sango a lonely wido-  
  
Sango. Inuyasha. Kagome. Shippou.  
  
"Where are they?" Miroku asked no one in particular, getting to his feet and scanning the room fervently. Joyous as he was that his curse was gone, there was hardly much point in being ecstatic when you had no friends to be happy for you as well. Where were his traveling companions? Last he remembered seeing them, they were all at Kaede's village, and being assaulted by some sort of powerful spell he had been too slow to defend himself against. What had come of that? He peered around the room curiously, and-  
  
-Once again, he was hit with another rather large shock. Roughly the fourth one he had received since waking up a mere five minutes ago.  
  
This room. What WAS it? It looked foreign and ridiculously exotic. Every piece of furniture, if it could even be called that, was designed out of an odd material Miroku had never seen before, and even the smell of the room was so completely unfamiliar, that the usually calm and in control man needed to take a seat on the odd bed presented before him. Why was it raised off the ground so? And what were these peculiar sheets he was using? They were very vibrantly colored, and while admittedly soft, he couldn't imagine what sort of fabric had been used to weave it.  
  
"Miroku, are you quite all right?" His father asked, awkwardly shuffling his feet off to the side, and eyeing his son warily.  
  
"Father." Miroku asked, clutching his head and staring up at Tori. "Where am I?"  
  
"Tokyo?" Tori offered, shrugging helplessly. What sort of a cockamamie question was that?  
  
"Tokyo." Miroku tried the name out, rolling it around in his mouth as it brought to light some memories that were clues in the giant puzzle of just where in God's name he was. "Kagome said she was from a land called Tokyo."  
  
"Kagome?" his father asked, staring at his son almost fearfully as a third person made their way into the room.  
  
"I-I must be in her time." Miroku realized with a start, looking around the room once more, and barely acknowledging the room's new occupant until she was right on top of him. Literally.  
  
"Miroku sweetie?" a woman asked, leaning over Miroku and taking his face in her finely manicured hands, peering at the man inquiringly. "Are you all right? Your father says your acting oddly."  
  
"W-who are you?" Miroku asked, not so sure how many more surprises he could take as he regarded the woman kneeling before him now. She was most undeniably dressed as someone from Kagome's era, and she was notably attractive to boot. Silky black hair pulled out of her face and streaked with a flamboyant red color, pouty lips, sparkling brown eyes, and a good body that would put most geisha Miroku knew to shame. Miroku desperately tried to figure out who this woman was, seeing as she apparently knew him very well. Quickly, she started running a hand through Miroku's dark hair, shaking her head worriedly.  
  
"Oh dear, he's right. You ARE acting strangely!" she said in a whine.  
  
"No, seriously, who are you?" Miroku repeated, drawing away from the woman's touch.  
  
"I'm your fiancée, Miroku! Shiina! Don't you remember me? Ohmigod. did you hit your head on something recently? Do you have amnesia?! Like on Passions?!" she squealed in fright, getting to her feet and standing next to Miroku's father fearfully, both now staring at Miroku as though he were a rare specimen that had to be carefully examined.  
  
"But. he knew me," Tori pointed out.  
  
"Um - Maybe he only remembers things from a certain point - like from when he was younger. Like an abstract form of what that guy in Memento had!"  
  
"Perhaps," Miroku's father agreed, gravely. "I think we should take him to a doctor. Look how oddly he's acting!" He pointed to his son as Miroku continued to inspect his room cautiously, starting to prod particularly odd-looking things, like the digital clock next to his bed which kept blinking and lighting up a startling red when there was no fire in it.  
  
"Wait a minute." Miroku suddenly gasped, sitting up so quickly Shiina and Tori took a frightful step back. What was going on?! "You are my fiancée?" he asked, addressing Shiina. Shiina nodded fervently, quickly sticking out her hand for Miroku to see.  
  
"Yes! Look, you bought me a ring and everything! We've been living together for four months," she elucidated. Miroku had no idea what a ring had to do with being betrothed, but if he and this woman had been living together for such a long period of time. then surly.  
  
"And. you wouldn't be planning to. to start a family with me, would you?" he asked, almost fearfully. Shiina blushed, looking down and smiling nervously.  
  
"Well, we had discussed it. and . it had been agreed that. umm. yes!" she finally got out, laughing uneasily and staring at Miroku intently, as if hoping that this admittance would jog his memory some. It didn't.  
  
Miroku's eyes widened and he slowly lifted a hand to his head, shaking lightly. Oh no. These.. Couldn't all be coincidences. No more family curse, a woman willing to bear his children. the only reasonable explanation was. Itazura. No. Way.  
  
She had actually done it? How was it possible? Miroku had been completely serious when he had told him companions that performing magic such as this was beyond the usual capabilities of a mere witch, so how had this one managed to so . effectively . pull off a wish of this proportion!? Release him from a family curse that a powerful demon had created? Formed a world where he was already engaged to a willing woman? Make it so his father was alive once more? Admittedly, Miroku had yet to figure out why Itazura chose to place his little family in this time period - but nonetheless, it was a mighty spell this elderly woman had cast.  
  
And while Miroku knew he should really take this time to jump up and down with joy, and celebrate the fact that his wandering, cursed days were over - he had gotten what he desired most! - he refrained. Because, as happy as he was about most parts of this new world he had been introduced to. a rather large part of him was scared, and regretful. Was this it, then? Would he never see his friends again? Never listen to Inuyasha chew him out again, never have Shippou criticize all of his companions love lives with him again, never have the pure Kagome question his lecherous behaviors again, never have Sango.  
  
Well, never have Sango period.  
  
Letting out a groan that was reminiscent of a baby calf being stabbed viscously in the stomach, repeatedly, Miroku collapsed onto his back with his hands to his face, fearfully wondering just what sort of mess he'd gotten himself into this time.  
  
'You've really done it now, sir Monk,' Miroku thought sarcastically, as in the background Shiina cried -  
  
"Oh no! He's gone into a coma! Like on All My Children, with Billy!"  
  
*  
  
"Y- your son?" Kagome repeated in a strangled tone, getting off the floor of the ex-guestroom and staring at her mother peculiarly. "But Sota's your son."  
  
"Well yes Kagome, I have two sons. That's all right by you, isn't it?" Ms. Higurashi asked flatly, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I-I suppose," Kagome said, watching with something very akin to morbid fascination as her mother lifted Shippou up into her arms and began stroking his head soothingly, whispering comforting words into his ear. Shippou, for his part, seemed to be taking this all very well, not necessarily leaning into Mrs. Higurashi's embrace, but not totally freaking out over it either. He threw Kagome and helpless look over his shoulder, and the schoolgirl frowned. Something else was wrong here.  
  
Didn't her mom notice that Shippou was a demon? The anomalously colored eyes and fluffy tail sticking out of his flannel pajamas she thought would be a dead give away, but apparently Mrs. Higurashi wasn't concerned with that. In fact, she was so involved with making sure her youngest son was all right, she hardly noticed Kagome until she remembered something apparently particularly vital.  
  
"Kagome?! Oh my gosh! What are you doing, standing around in your nightclothes? Get dressed young lady! You have somewhere to be this morning - in case you've forgotten!" she reminded Kagome sternly. Kagome frowned - did she mean school?  
  
"But Mom I've got to go back down the well. You know Inuyasha needs me ." Kagome explained desperately, honestly not up for a day of school. Long ago she and her mother had sat down and talked about the time traveling and how it affected her education, deciding it would be best to just go ahead and collect of the jewel shards, finishing the journey, all at once, so that the whole thing didn't drag on and last until senior year of high school. The sooner she was done with it, the better, had been her mother's opinion. Besides, it sounded like her friends on the other side of the well needed her a lot more than her math teacher did. Now, surly her mother wouldn't be going back on her word.  
  
"Well?" Aiko Higurashi asked, blankly.  
  
"Yes! The well in the shrine! The bone gobbling well?" Kagome said, sighing.  
  
"What are you talking about?" her mother laughed, shaking her head and letting Shippou go. The second she did, the little kitsune scurried over to Kagome, pacing nervously by her feet. All of the smells and sounds of this strange place were making him edgy, especially with his heightened senses. "No one ever goes in the shrine's well house!"  
  
Kagome visibly paled, a terrible thought sneaking into her mind as she glanced down at Shippou, who seemed oblivious. What if . something had happened, and now.  
  
"I-I gotta go!" Kagome nearly shrieked, dashing out of the room like a bullet, and zipping down the stairs.  
  
"But Kagome!" her mother called after her, as Shippou watched the girl run off, confused. "We have to leave in a half hour!"  
  
"Yeah!" Kagome agreed, not really listening to her mother as she tore her way around the shrine's property, front door slamming behind her, and heading towards the well house, hoping desperately that her fears weren't true. A light sheen of sweat formed on her forehead as she burst into the well house, not wasting a moment as she all but threw herself down the well.  
  
Bracing her legs slightly as she came to the bottom, Kagome sat frozen for a minute, staring straight ahead, and quivering slightly. This was bad.  
  
There had been no surge of magic, the likes of which she usually felt when jumping into the well that transported her between times, and no flash of infinite darkness that always engulfed her en route to the bottom. Fearfully, she slowly raised her head to see what lay outside the well, feeling her heart nearly break in two when she was greeted with the grim sight of the well house roof. The dark, lame, stupid well house roof.  
  
"No!" Kagome cried, covering her head and leaning over, feeling truly crushed. How could this be!? Why couldn't she travel back in time? And this wasn't even like those other instances when she was unable to get back to the feudal era - this time; no one even believed the time traveling well EXISTED! The simple thought of never being able to see Inuyasha or her other friends ever again made Kagome want to tear all of her hair out. "Noooo."  
  
"Kagome?" her grandfather's echoing voice chimed, as the geriatric Shinto priest leaned over the well to see the quivering form of his granddaughter.  
  
"Y-yes, grandfather?" Kagome replied in the strongest voice she could muster. No need to startle gramps.  
  
"What are you doing in here? You know the well is off limits," he said, motioning for her to come back up. Kagome slowly stood, finding no reason not to leave the well, as sitting at the bottom of it was doing her little to no good. "Besides, your mother is going insane with worry. She seems to think you won't be ready in time to leave for the ceremony,"  
  
"Ceremony?" Kagome sniffled as she threw her legs over the side of well, and came to stand next to grandfather Higurashi, shaking as inconspicuously as she could. She strained to hear her grandfather when her mind was screaming curses at the well behind her.  
  
"Yes, at the Western Palace! And - oh, my, have you been crying Kagome?" he asked, noticing the tear stains on the girl's cheeks. Kagome quickly got to rubbing all evidence of her sorrow away, giving off a small smile.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing," Kagome said, knowing her grandfather wouldn't understand. "But, um, you wouldn't know anything about someone named Inuyasha, would you?" she asked, just to be sure.  
  
"Inu who?" her grandfather asked, sounding generally curious.  
  
"Uh. never mind," Kagome said despondently, staring at her hands and biting her lip.  
  
"Kagome, are you worried about the ceremonies?" her grandfather asked critically, finding there to be no other reason for his granddaughter's odd behavior. "If that's the case - don't worry about it! You'll do fine! And you've definitely earned it."  
  
"What ceremony?" Kagome asked again, still unclear of where it was she was supposed to be going. Going ANYWHERE at this point seemed like such an arduous task for the crushed girl, that she doubted she would be willing to go to any ceremonies today. no matter how much she apparently had earned it.  
  
"The ceremony at the Western palace!" Her grandfather repeated, shaking his head as Kagome wondered just what the Western Palace was. A restaurant name, perhaps? "For your science award!"  
  
"My 'science award'," Kagome said slowly, finding that putting 'science' and 'award' in the same sentence for her was so totally odd it was almost hard to pronounce. "What science award?"  
  
"The National Award you received for having the best Science Project for a Junior High student in the country! Don't you remember?" her grandfather asked, his tone taking on a hint of hysteria. Kagome blinked, but decided now was not the time to mention that the only science award she had ever won was in kindergarten for her group presentation on why the sky is blue - and even then their major resource for information had Bill Nye The Science Guy. After that, it had all gone down hill, and her latest Biology grade was a C+ if memory served her correctly.  
  
"Um, yeah, of course, silly me. I must just be tired, how could I forget?" Kagome said lamely, deciding she would have to get to the bottom of all this soon, because things were starting to get a little too weird.  
  
"Well, I see - it has been a stressful week for you. Poor thing. Oh! And, about that - I decided to get you a little present of my own. I'm just so proud of your fabulous educational achievements this year; I had to get you something extra special. Just don't tell your mom, she'll think it's too much like a bribe," he added quietly, Kagome's previous lapse in memory now forgotten. Kagome accepted the present with a hesitant smile, vaguely wondering just WHAT sort of educational achievements she had made that school year, seeing as how she had been present in class for a grand total of oh, maybe five classes. You know, maybe.  
  
"O-Oh my God," Kagome breathed, opening the small box her grandfather had presented to her, her breath quickening as she stared at the object in her hands with total, utter disbelief.  
  
"Marvelous, isn't it?"  
  
And indeed it was.  
  
For inside the little box was none other than the completed, unbroken, authentic - shikon no tama. Not a fake one from her grandfather's mystical knickknack shop, not an illusion that some demon created . the genuine article.  
  
"This is. amazing," Kagome breathed, holding up the small glass ball, and feeling its complete power reverberate through her very essence as she gazed at its slightly pink tinted body. This was unreal.  
  
'On a more ironic note, I finally have the completed jewel, and now there's no Inuyasha to give it to,' she thought, her eyes suddenly stinging uncomfortably.  
  
"Thank you grandpa," she abruptly cried, throwing her arms around his neck in an effort to hide the uncontrollable flow of tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes any moment now. "You have no idea what this means to me!"  
  
"Oh - Well - I, ah, didn't expect you to like it this much!" he said happily, marveling over the fact that finally his granddaughter appreciated the numinous gifts he always gave her. She was really growing up!  
  
"I've gotta go," she said abruptly, letting go of her grandfather and heading towards the door, clutching the shikon no tama in her hand. She had to show Shippou!  
  
"All right - but get ready for the ceremony Kagome! Honestly - you're still wearing your pajamas!."  
  
However, once Kagome started thinking about Shippou, she began to wonder why HE was in this time period with her, and also what it would mean to him when she admitted she didn't know how to get him back to the Sengoku Jidai. 'How come he's been adopted into my family - and no one cares that he's a demon? Does this mean that maybe my other companions are here in this time as well?' she thought, a beacon of hope forming inside her as she spotted Shippou trotting towards her from the house, apparently very exited about something.  
  
"Shippou!" Kagome called, letting him leap into her arms.  
  
"Kagome!" he replied, a large smile stretching his cute little face. "You're never going to believe what I just found!"  
  
"YOU'RE never going to believe what I just found!" Kagome said, speaking in hushed tones so that her mother, just exiting the house, wouldn't hear the strange conversation.  
  
"Me first!" Shippou quickly said, whipping something out from his pocket, and waggling it proudly in front of Kagome. "Look! Your Chocolate! It's all here! I have like, a gazillion of them in my closet!!!" he nearly shrieked. It was at that point that something in Kagome's brain just. clicked.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened to the point Shippou feared them might fall out, and finally the girl said:  
  
"Do you have, say, a 'lifetime supply?'"  
  
"Yeah, maybe." Shippou said, wondering why that was relevant. At those words, Kagome quickly held up the completed shikon no tama more the fox demon to view. He appeared to ogle it with a look of total disbelief for a second, and Kagome could almost see the gears cranking over time in his head - before the two locked gazes, both wearing serious expressions now, and sharing a moment of mental connection.  
  
"Itazura." They chorused.  
  
*  
  
Whoa. long chapter. Anyway, what did you think? I was really worried about how similar Inuyasha and Sango's situations were, but you'll see why that's needed later. and it's not my fault they suffer from similar family problems! Everyone's parents are dead in this manga!  
  
In any case, just to assure you all, Sesshomaru is not dead. He, and a lot of other people who haven't come up yet, you will all see in chapter four or five. Haven't decided yet.  
  
Let's see. I'm a HUGE Inu/Kag supporter, just so we get that out of the way for anyone who might have caught on to something in this chapter and were maybe thinking Sango and Inuyasha were going to have a future. um- ok - not going to say anything else.  
  
It will be explained why everyone is in the 21st century. I didn't just do that arbitrarily because I thought it would be funny. Honest.  
  
PLEASE review! I have no idea when the next chapter is going to come out, since I think my other Inuyasha fic is starved for attention, but I promise it will be written way way faster if lots of people review.  
  
Thanks for reading!  
  
Rio Grande~ 


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